


It's 2 AM

by thatskyquill



Series: The Exorcist and the Faithful [2]
Category: Faith (Airdorf Video Game), The Exorcist (1973)
Genre: (non graphic description of violence), Drabble, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Paranormal, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24656245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatskyquill/pseuds/thatskyquill
Summary: John can't sleep and talks to the ghost.
Series: The Exorcist and the Faithful [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787290
Kudos: 10





	It's 2 AM

**Author's Note:**

> as reposted from Discord

_It’s 2 am._

John flipped. His room was brighter from the moonlight that is was projected onto the ground in four panels.

“ _Can’t sleep?_ ” The gravel-like voice asked at the foot of his bed.

He nodded.

Karras glided to his side but out of his vision. There were no footsteps to hear, but John could feel the colder wind and hidden eyes upon him.

“ _It’s nightmare again, isn’t it._ ”

 _“Yes._ ”

_Maybe I should go back to sleep. But I don’t want to close my eyes anymore. The night is beautiful._

“ _Before I jumped, outside the window isn’t much different. Just rows of houses. The only difference is it’s facing the side of another house with the stairs below, not across the streets. And the moon did not shine that bright either._ ”

John decided to sit up to discover the ghost sitting opposite of him. “And … the news said another body found in the bedroom.”

“ _That’s right._ ” Karras remained still and frowned for a second. Then he did not say anything more.

John joined the silence too, not knowing how to apologize. He thought of something and tried, “I’m proud of you, y’know? In the end the girl is saved. But I went to an exorcism that left my colleague dead and the girl _still_ possessed.”

“ _Merrin must have already passed on, so I don’t have to worry about that. It’s just personal now._ ”

“Sorry for bringing it up.”

“ _It’s okay. And well, about you …_ ” John recoiled in surprise as the piercing eyes stared at him — No, that was just him. There was nothing hostile about them at all. “ _You still have nightmares, right?_ ”

“Yes. Uh, Father, if I recall correctly, you were a psychiatrist, right?”

“ _Technically, yes._ ”

“Could you analyze dreams?”

Karras glanced to the side and rubbed an index finger to his temple. “ _It is still a widely disputable area. While I agree it is influenced by the inner psyche, I don’t agree that it can be prophetic. It is most likely to be projected by the self-conscious, but demons can meddle with that._ ”

John inched forward urgently, pleading, “My nightmares keep getting worse.”

“ _Obviously, your guilt plays a significant part of it. And from my experience, demons take advantage of the vulnerability, but they find more fun in doing it in the waking hours._ ”

“Could you help me find this guilt? Kick it in the shins?” He did not care anymore and let it pour out. “I have — I have things that I have to do, but my faith is running low and something could be consuming me.”

Karras shuffled forward and touched his shoulder. His hand was lifelessly cold, but at least a hand. “ _One evidence that God exists is the presence of evil and monsters. That is the lesson I learned. And the whole thing with your exorcism, you’ve got to loosen your grip on it. But don’t flee from it. So far as I can see, the fact that you are willing to go back means you are not a coward._ ”

John widened his eyes at him, and inadvertently took a sharp inhale. Now only one word remained in his thoughts.

_Allred._

All hope was drawn over by a wave of depressive sorrow.

Karras properly seated beside him and took another hand on his other shoulder, embracing him. Penetrating his thin shirt and numbing his skin, John involuntarily shuddered but reached out his hands and prompted the aura to flow toward him.

“ _Wanna hear a Greek lullaby? I may not be the best at singing …_ ”


End file.
